IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Saving Sundays Milda Ratkelyte

I caught up with writer, photographer and aspiring filmmaker, Milda Ratkelyte from Saving Sundays. Growing up, Sunday was always a relaxing calm, fun-filled day. I don’t know about you guys but now that I’m a ‘grown up’, my Sundays have been filled with everything from work to chores. It’s been a long time since I sat back and enjoyed a Sunday!

Milda is bringing Sunday back.

When and why did you start Saving Sundays?
For as long as I can remember, my family put a special emphasis on spending quality time together on Sundays. Whether it was a family cookout trying out new recipes or a short trip to the beach or building swings at the backyard, there was always one rule- no TV, cellphones, computers and other distractions, just us! These traditions became my happiest memories. In today’s hectic world, where people work crazy hours and are always in a rush, I feel that the meaning of Sundays gets lost. Saving Sundays is my creative outlet for inspiring people to slow down, take in the surroundings and spend their Sundays doing great things with their loved ones. I’ve started Saving Sundays a couple of months ago, although it has been on my mind for years! With the full-time job which involved tons of travel, I just never found the time to sit down and do it and also I just never thought the idea was complete enough to give it a go. Excuses, I know. However, a few months ago, an amazing person came into my life and gave me the kick in the ass I needed to stop making excuses and do what I love today! And so far it has been going great with all the support I get from the beautiful souls out there.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
My inspiration comes people around me. Since I’ve started Saving Sundays, I’ve met a bunch of incredibly creative and talented people around the world and it is them that inspire me. And nature: a walk in the mountains, dipping into a cold river, watching the waves- everything that makes you slow down and take in the surroundings.Your favorite blog post to date?
I’m equally excited about all the articles I post on Saving Sundays. That was one of the main reasons why I started Saving Sundays at the first place. I wanted to have my own creative outlet to write about things that I truly admire, appreciate and love. None of my content is commercially focused. I simply write about things that inspire me and hopefully my readers.

Your photography is amazing – what are your favorite things/people to shoot?
Photography is my number one hobby. I took it over my Dad who was a film photography addict. I remember as a child watching him develop film in the dark bathroom and I’ve always wanted to try it myself. He taught me everything and it will always be the one thing that will always makes me feel close to him now that he is gone. He also got me addicted to travel since the very young age when we used to spend our summers in Africa. So I am most passionate about travel photography. I love freezing the wonderful moments I experience while travelling new lands and meeting amazing people along the way.Tell us about your typical day?
Although I am not a morning person, my days start pretty early (with the exception of Sundays). My 9am-6pm is dedicated to my full time job as a Community Manager for AsiaRooms.com (an online hotel booking site). Throughout the day I write travel related articles and work on various travel related projects (videos, infographics, social media, etc). Then, I break my day with a hot yoga session and start my working day for Saving Sundays:) Currently, it’s just me behind the Saving Sundays blog, but I am looking into getting couple more people on board as it’s expanding quite fast. I do make myself to take few evenings off a week to spend time with my loved ones over cozy dinner or drinks, movie or arts exhibition. Sundays are strictly no work for none of my jobs:)Anything exciting coming up in the future?
I’ve got so many ideas and plans for Saving Sundays. If only I had more time:) I am currently working on couple of campaigns and projects with small start-ups around the world, so stay tuned!Any tips for future bloggers?
There is no right or wrong way of being a successful blogger. I think as long as you have the passion to do it and inspire people, you simply can’t go wrong. I’ve started blogging 3 years ago with absolutely no experience (before that I worked in Oil & Gas investment industry) and English is not my first language, so the chances of one day being a successful blogger and let alone having your own blog was just a dream I really wanted to pursue. And so I did! It isn’t easy, but it is possible! ” It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things” –Leonardo Da Vinci